How did you do financially last year? Very well, I hope, because rent in Manhattan, where all the breathless American dreamers yearn to live and "make something of themselves," rose 10% last year. The median rent in Manhattan is $3,200.

That's okay, because average weekly wages in Manhattan are more than $2,600. Would you like to move from another borough of New York City into Manhattan? Sorry. The average weekly wage in every other borough was under $900.

Most good apartments would like for you to make at least 40 times the monthly rent. Do you make more than $128,000? No, I didn't think so. You could get a better job, but with the NYC unemployment rate still at well over 9%, I wouldn't count on it. And let's not even talk about those of you making the median household income.

Basically if you already live in Manhattan, you can afford to live in Manhattan, but if you don't, you probably can't afford to live in Manhattan. So just forget it. Manhattan is not for you. Except for the parts where white people don't live.

On the bright side, you don't want to live in Manhattan. It's just a bunch of rich people.